Chapter 2
Jack slowly turned over in bed and realized his cell phone was ringing on his nightstand.
Raising up on his elbow he stared at the bedside clock. 5:51 a.m.
"Who is calling me at this hour?" he mumbled.
He suddenly remembered that Dylan had spent the night with Alex Madison. Alex and his parents, Bill and Amy, had recently moved into the house next door and they'd had Dylan and himself to dinner a few times at their house. Dylan was only two months older than Alex and the boys had become friends.
Hoping this wasn't Bill or Amy calling to tell him that something was wrong with Dylan, Jack picked up the phone and answered.
"Hello."
"Jack, this is General Reynolds. I'm sorry to wake you but I knew you'd want to know as soon as possible."
Jack turned on the bedside lamp. "What is it?"
"You need to get here, Jack. It's about Colonel Carter."
Jack's heart began to race as he quickly got out of bed. Knowing he couldn't discuss anything with Reynolds over the phone, he cut the conversation short.
"I need to make a phone call to get someone to take care of Dylan and I'll be there as soon as I can."
"We'll be waiting."
After quickly getting dressed, he ran a comb through his hair and put his wallet in his pocket.
Knowing it was still early but feeling anxious to get to the base, he dialed his neighbors' number.
He paced as he waited and finally a sleepy voice answered the phone.
"Hello."
"Amy, it's Jack. Look, I'm sorry to wake you but I was wondering if Dylan could stay with you today, or maybe for a few days. I have an emergency I need to take care of."
"Is everything okay?"
"I'm sorry, I really can't tell you anything."
Bill and Amy knew that he was a retired USAF General and he had also told them that Sam was in the Air Force but was MIA.
"I understand, Jack. We'll be glad to look after Dylan for you."
"Please tell him that I promise I'll be back as soon as I can."
"I will and don't worry, we'll take good care of him."
"Thanks, Amy."
Jack ended the call and put the cell phone in his pocket, grabbed the keys to his truck and ran out the door.
Thankful that it was a Saturday morning and there was less traffic, he drove as fast as he could.
Arriving at the Mountain, Jack quickly parked his truck and ran inside. After scribbling his name on the sign-in log and riding down the elevator, he hurried to the briefing room and found Reynolds, Bra'tac and SG-3 waiting for him. Everyone stood up as Jack came through the door.
Bra'tac grinned and grasped Jack's arm. "It is good to see you, my friend."
"Same here. You have good news for me?"
"I do."
Daniel and Teal'c entered the room. After Teal'c and Bra'tac greeted each other, everyone sat down at the table.
Jack got right to the point. "You think you know where Sam is?"
"I am certain of it."
"Where?"
"On a planet quite far from here. I was in a meeting with the Jaffa High Council when Rak'nor and Artok interrupted, needing to speak with me on an urgent matter. They had been to another planet to discuss with the Jaffa there about joining our cause. They had trouble with their Tel'tak on their way back to Chulak and had to land on the first planet they could find. They found people there so Rak'nor and Artok asked for their help."
Daniel set up straighter in his chair. "Were they dressed in black robes?"
"The males were dressed in black. The females were dressed in blue."
"And they spoke English?"
"They did."
"If this is the same people that took Sam, when I tried to talk to them, they spoke in a language that Sam, Teal'c and I had never heard."
Teal'c looked at Daniel. "They chose not to speak our language. They only wanted Colonel Carter."
Jack stared at Bra'tac as he continued.
"Rak'nor and Artok led two of the men back to where they had landed and showed them what they needed for repairs. They returned with the men to the town and that's when Rak'nor and Artok saw a woman that looked very much like Colonel Carter. As soon as the repairs were made, they came back to Chulak to inform me. So as not to get your hopes up, I wanted to see for myself if it was her, so we returned to the planet. We landed some distance from the town so we would not be detected and walked the rest of the way. We hid in some trees and watched and waited for awhile but eventually saw her. Although she was quite some distance from us, she stood out from the others because of her height and light hair. There was a man that she followed at all times, never beside him but always walked behind him. He went into a building for a short time. When the man came back out, he handed her some kind of package to carry and she followed him down a street. They went around a corner so we lost sight of her. We returned to Chulak and I came here."
Jack looked at Reynolds. "We have to go to the planet."
"I know, Jack. I asked SG-3 to sit in with us so they could hear what Master Bra'tac had to say. I'm sending them with you as back-up. You can change clothes in the locker room."
As everyone stood up, Daniel spoke. "Wait a minute. If this is the same people that we ran into on the planet and they have weapons like they used on Sam, Teal'c and me, we don't have anything like that to defend ourselves. They could knock all of us out in a matter of seconds."
Jack glared at Daniel and raised his voice. "I don't care what kind of weapons they have, Daniel! I'm going after my wife! Dylan has been without his Mother for over two years! He needs her to come home and so do I!"
"I'm not saying we don't go after Sam, Jack. I just want you to understand that we don't know exactly what we'll be up against."
"We've been to lots of other planets that we didn't know what we'd be getting into until we got there and that never stopped us before, Daniel. Let's go!"
Jack, Daniel and Teal'c headed to the locker room. Teal'c finished dressing first and went ahead to spend time with Bra'tac.
After getting dressed, Jack sat down on a bench beside Daniel and watched him tie his boots.
"Daniel, I want to remind you that if something happens and Sam and I don't come back, you'll become Dylan's guardian."
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that, Jack."
"I'm just saying that if it does, we need to know that our son will be with someone who loves him and will take care of him."
Daniel put his hand on Jack's shoulder. "I promise."
After Jack and Daniel put on their gear and got their weapons, they joined SG-3, Teal'c and Bra'tac in the gate room.
As everyone came through the stargate to Chulak, they were met by Rak'nor and Artok, they wanted to join the rescue mission.
Everyone boarded the Tel'tak and sat down on the floor to get comfortable for the long ride to the planet.
As Bra'tac sat at the controls, Jack sat down in the chair beside him.
"I really appreciate this, more than you know. Thank you."
"You are most welcome. I have always held you and Colonel Carter in high regard and I know the respect that Teal'c has for you both. We must rescue her so she can return home to you and your son."
While Bra'tac navigated the Tel'tak, Jack went to join the rest of the men and sat down beside Daniel.
Jack glanced at each of the men. "Thanks for doing this. I know you may be risking your lives to bring Sam home safely. As Daniel mentioned earlier, since we don't really know anything about these people, we have no idea what they're like. I seriously doubt that they're going to let Sam go if we just march in there and demand to have her back."
Jack turned to look at Rak'nor and Artok. "I know you weren't there long but did you notice anything unusual we should know about?"
Rak'nor spoke up. "From what we observed from the short time we were there, this is a civilization strictly ruled by men. The females did not speak unless spoken to."
Jack and Daniel looked at each other, knowing how much Sam hated male dominated societies where females were treated as second class citizens.
Daniel and Jack chatted as Daniel snacked on a granola bar.
"Excited?"
Jack sighed. "Excited . . . nervous . . . scared. You name it, that's how I'm feeling right now."
"You'll be okay. We'll grab Sam, hop back on the ship to Chulak, go through the gate back to Earth and you, Dylan and Sam will be a family again."
"I hope you're right, Daniel. This better be Sam, I don't know what I'll do if it isn't. Not knowing what happened to her has been almost more than Dylan and I can bear and I don't want either of us to be without her any longer."
Daniel put his hand on Jack's forearm and squeezed. "We'll get her back. We'll be home before you know it."
Jack stood up and wandered to the front. Bra'tac glanced up at Jack as he sat down beside him.
"I am sorry this happened to Colonel Carter and only wish we had found her sooner."
"Yeah, me too."
"This situation must have been difficult for your son to be without his Mother all this time . . . as well as yourself."
Jack stared out the window. "It's the hardest thing, except for the death of Charlie, my other son, that I've ever had to live through."
~oOo~
As Jack stood talking with Teal'c, Bra'tac let everyone know that they would be arriving shortly on the planet.
As the men geared up, the Tel'tak descended to the surface.
Everyone was on high alert as they held their weapons and gathered at the door.
As Bra'tac joined the others, Jack turned to face the men as they awaited his orders.
"This is the most important rescue mission I've ever led. Thank you again for coming. Let's do this."
Bra'tac opened the door. Teal'c and Jack led the way outside as the others followed and everyone silently looked around. They were in a narrow clearing, close to a dense forest.
"Which direction?" Jack asked.
Rak'nor nodded with his head. "That way."
The men moved as quickly and as quietly as they could through the thick brush and trees. After walking a short distance, they could see a dirt road up ahead.
Jack glanced at Bra'tac. "Lead the way."
Bra'tac took lead as they moved through the trees and came closer to the town. Bra'tac stopped and Jack gave the signal to everyone to kneel on the ground and as they did so, they took their time to observe the people. As Bra'tac had said, the men were dressed in black and the women in blue. The women followed the men in silence. Knowing how independent Sam was, Jack could only imagine how difficult it had been for her to have lived under these conditions for so long.
As Jack watched, he observed the town and the people. He knew Sam had been taken in a ship, but what was so surprising was that they didn't have automobiles, trains or any other means of transportation. A few people rode on horseback but everyone else was walking.
Colonel Miller looked at Jack. "Sir, shouldn't we go ask if they know where we might find her?"
"No. It's best if we just wait here for awhile and hope we see her. If we start asking questions, someone that doesn't want Sam to be found may hear us asking about her and try to hide her from us, making it more difficult to locate her."
They had been watching for almost a half hour when Major Sheridan of SG-3 suddenly pointed and whispered "there she is."
Jack turned his head in the direction the Major was pointing and he could feel his heart beating faster as he stared at Sam.
Daniel whispered "it's her, Jack."
Everyone watched as a man that Sam was following, stopped and gazed into a store window. He said something to Sam and she nodded her head as the man went inside. She turned slightly in their direction and Jack stared at his wife. She had lost weight and her blonde hair was now half way down her back and in a braid. Tears came to his eyes as he realized once again how much he had missed her. He missed her smile. He missed those blue eyes that could look at him with such love that it could almost knock him over, those eyes that could glare at him when he had said something that she thought was ridiculous. He missed her giggle and the way she would tease him when they were alone. He missed kissing her and making love to this woman who had captured his heart so long ago on the first day they had met when she had challenged him to arm wrestle. He remembered the many times he would wake up with Sam snuggled against him, but how empty the bed now felt when he awoke and she wasn't there. He remembered how beautiful she had been while carrying his child and how sweet, patient and gentle she had been with their son.
He was brought out of his thoughts as the man came out of the building and went in the opposite direction from where they were. Sam followed the man as they disappeared into the crowd.
Teal'c looked at Jack. "How do you wish to proceed, O'Neill?"
Jack turned to face Bra'tac and Teal'c.
"You two are coming with me. The rest of you, stay in the woods and follow us as closely as you can without being seen. Don't do anything unless you see that we're in trouble. I don't want to hurt anyone if possible."
The three men stepped out onto the road. As they walked into town, the people stopped what they were doing and stared at the men.
Jack gripped his P-90. "Be ready for anything" he whispered.
They walked quickly in the direction that Sam had gone and the people didn't attempt to talk to them.
As they came down the street, Bra'tac got a glimpse of Sam. "O'Neill, over to your left. She just went into that building."
They hurried along and stepped onto the porch of a shop.
Jack glanced around. "Teal'c, wait here. Bra'tac, you're with me."
Teal'c turned around and stood in front of the door. He looked very menacing since he was three times the size of the people, so most of them would look at him for a few moments and hurry past him.
As Bra'tac and Jack entered the shop, they could see a few other people wandering around.
Jack could see Sam standing a few feet behind the man she had been following and noticed that she was about five inches taller than him. He spoke in a language that Jack had never heard as he conversed with a woman behind the counter.
The woman looked up and stared at the strangers. The man and Sam turned around at the same time to see what the woman was looking at.
Sam's breath caught in her throat and her eyes grew large when she saw Jack. He glanced at her but kept his attention on the man so he would not become suspicious.
Jack raised his left hand in greeting but kept his right hand securely on his weapon. "Howdy, folks."
Sam put her hand to her mouth as Jack quickly glanced at her again and he could see that she was trying not to react, knowing they could be in danger if she did.
Bra'tac walked slowly around displays of food as if he were looking for something in particular.
The man narrowed his eyes and glared at Jack. "Who are you?"
Jack raised his eyebrows. "You can understand me?"
The man looked Jack up and down. "I do. I speak many languages."
"Good. Well, you see, me and my friend here are from a place far away. We're traders and we happened to notice your fair planet and decided we'd come and have a look around."
"What do you hope to find?"
Jack glanced at Sam and back to the man again. "We're interested in knowing what kind of weapons you might have."
"We have nothing that would interest you."
"May I ask your name?"
"My name is Calyx."
Jack patted his P-90. "Well, Calyx, do you have one of these?"
"No. I do not."
"Do you have enemies?"
"Certainly."
"Then see, you might need this. How about if we trade?"
"What would you like to trade?"
"I'll give you this weapon for the beautiful woman standing beside you."
Calyx's expression changed to a glare as he slowly crossed his arms and slipped his hands inside the sleeves of his robe. "She is my servant and she is not for sale."
Jack kept talking with Calyx as Bra'tac slowly edged closer to Sam. She glanced at Bra'tac, knowing he was up to something.
Bra'tac came to stand beside her and suddenly pulled a zat'ni'katel from under his robe. Calyx saw Bra'tac from the corner of his eye and turned to face him. He quickly removed his hand from his sleeve and held up an object in the palm of his hand.
Sam knew what Calyx was about to do and reacted quickly by kicking Calyx's arm. The object flew across the room as Bra'tac shot Calyx with the zat and he fell to the floor.
The people in the shop began to scream and run for the door as did the woman behind the counter.
Teal'c was about to come inside to see what was happening just as Jack grabbed Sam's hand and headed to the door with Bra'tac following.
"Teal'c, we got her! Let's go!"
They started back the way they had come but as they were running down the street, Sam tugged on Jack's hand to stop.
"Jack, we can't leave yet! There's something I have to bring with us!"
They heard loud voices and turned to see several men coming down the road, holding what appeared to be some kind of weapons in their hands.
"Jack, please!"
"Where to?"
"This way!"
Teal'c and Bra'tac followed Jack and Sam as they ran ahead. Jack glanced behind them to see SG-3, Daniel, Artok and Rak'nor fire their weapons into the air to stop the men from advancing any further.
Jack, Sam, Teal'c and Bra'tac followed Sam as she suddenly turned and went through a narrow alley between two buildings.
They came around the corner of a large house and followed Sam as she ran up the front steps. Sam pushed open the front door and the men followed her inside.
Jack glanced around. "Sam, we have to hurry. What's so important?"
Sam grabbed Jack's hand and pulled him to a small bedroom in the back of the house. They came through the door as a woman stood up from a wooden chair and Jack could see she was holding a little girl.
"Neisha, this is my husband. He's here to take me home. Please come with us."
Neisha's eyes grew wide with surprise as Sam took the child from her.
"Please, Neisha, come with us. You can have a much better life where we're going."
Neisha shook her head. "I cannot. I will stay here. This is my home."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, but you must hurry before Gianna returns."
Sam walked to Jack and turned the child around so he could see her face.
"Jack, this is Lizzie. Your daughter."
TBC